Maine Sunday Telegram , April 1, 2007
Maine Voices
Maine workers need bigger bridge to the new economy
By Dana Connors and Edward Gorham
As representatives of business and labor, we sometimes find ourselves on opposite sides of an issue.
But workforce development is not one of those issues. We are convinced that Maine's economic future is tied directly to the state's ability to provide its people with the skills they need to compete.
And we believe that the time has come to make strategic investments in our community colleges so that they are able to serve more Maine people and businesses.
When Maine's community college system was established four years ago, we cheered. Our economy was moving rapidly away from the traditional industries that had sustained Maine families for generations.
With increasing speed, our economy was - and is - shifting to one fueled by knowledge.
That shift meant that our work force needed more formal education and more specific skills in order for individuals and businesses to be competitive. Maine people clearly understood that imperative and have seized the opportunities presented by our young community college system.
Since 2002, enrollment in Maine's community colleges has increased by nearly 50 percent; the number of students enrolling in the community colleges directly from high school has increased 57 percent; and the number of Maine community college students transferring on to the University of Maine System has grown by 40 percent.
The payback to our state and to the economy has been dramatic: Fully 95 percent of Maine community college graduates are placed in jobs or continue their education, and of those who are placed in jobs, 95 percent are working in Maine.
But although Maine people and businesses have been quick to invest their hopes in our community colleges, we, as a state, haven't made a corresponding investment in these institutions.
While enrollment has grown by 47 percent in four years, state funding is only 10 percent greater.
After years of dramatic growth, the community colleges confront serious capacity issues and are stretched thin.
The time has come to get serious about investing in our community colleges. We say this because, already, too many of the community college system's most popular programs have established waiting lists or begun to turn students away.
And this means that far too many of our businesses will continue to struggle to find the skilled labor they need to grow and prosper. Contrary to popular belief, right now in Maine, many key industries are facing significant shortages of skilled workers.
In 2004, the Maine Chamber of Commerce conducted a survey that found that nearly 50 percent of members were having a difficult time finding skilled workers.
And the Governor's Community College Advisory Council reported that - each year, for the foreseeable future - the state's economy will be short about 4,200 workers with the skills acquired at the community college level.
For Maine businesses, this shortage of skilled workers means lost business opportunities, higher operating costs, and stalled economic growth. For our workers and our state, it means the lost wages and tax revenue associated with good-paying jobs.
As Maine makes major investments in research and development to create new high skill jobs and industries, it also needs to invest in workforce development to ensure that a ready supply of highly skilled workers is available to fuel that growth.
The time has come to build a bigger bridge to our community colleges, to make the necessary, long-term investments that will ensure that our workforce is prepared to fuel Maine's economic growth.
- Special to the Telegram